virgilnilson

Okay, I am the horrible jerk grasshopper that totally deserves this but any help would be so much appreciated.

We leave for Europe on June 10th, we essentially have: just our bikes. This will be at minimum a 1 month journey from Rome to Barcelona, WHAT ELSE DO WE NEED?

So far I know of:
-Racks: Ordering through LBS, they recommended surly ~80lb racks for front and back
-Panniers: Ordering through LBS, although he is going to call me back with a recommendation because he wasn't super familiar off the top of his head
-GPS: We figure this could be very valuable while navigating ancient roads and having no idea where we're going, any recommendations on specific models and where to buy?
-Repair kit: No idea about this, what should a complete repair kit consist of? (Meaning EVERYTHING that we need to maintain our bikes along the way including spares) Do they sell complete kits?
-General clothes for not biking
-Bike shoes, one pair, and a few pairs of bike shorts
-Cameras

Am I missing anything? Recommendations on anything would be very much appreciated. Yes, I know we are idiots for putting it off this long.

tblendell

maps, not sure if you NEED GPS. look at the Lonely Planet cycling Europe book.
i think you might do well by going to your local REI becoming a member (you'll get a dividend!)if you aren't already and just pick up all the stuff you need in the cycling department ie. racks panniers tool kit tubes etc. they also have lots of other travel and camping stuff you might need. you can also order off the web. i love the LBS but having them ordering it and hoping it gets there just in time sounds worrisome.
are you camping? (tent, pads, bags) cooking? stove etc.
there are lots of lists on this site and fat guy on a bike of things to bring.
i would just say bring LIGHT clothes and clothes that DRY very easily and quickly.
ALSO practice a little bit with your full load. if nothing else you'll find out if your bike fits a full load etc.
have fun!

coyboy

since you did not mention any camping gear, does this mean you will not be camping out...and if not then an 80 lb rack and paniers seems like overkill....well they might be handy for sovineer shopping. On the gps, just make sure it has european roads or the ability to buy a card with them loaded. go for one with decent battery life if you think you will leave it on all day. extra batteries for the cameras and gps might be handy. not sure if you will need a special wall outlet adapter for charges etc or not but some places do use different ones.

Bacciagalupe

A grain of salt?

If you are staying in hotels, I recommend you stick to two small rear bags and a handlebar bag with a shoulder strap option. Put the critical stuff like passport, camera, money etc in the handlebar bag and carry it with you at all times when off the bike.

Racks, most stuff will be fine. Surly makes rock-solid gear.

Panniers, I love my Ortlieb. Arkel and Deuter also make good stuff. If your panniers are not **fully** waterproof (like the Ortliebs are), you can line yours with garbage bags instead.

Make sure that you have enough heel clearance, i.e. attach the rack & bags at the LBS, take a spin, make sure your heels don't hit the bags.

GPS, screw it. Get maps and a compass. GPS is neato but a) not reliable and b) battery hungry.

Repairs: several patch kits, several replacement inner tubes, and at least one spare folding tire. Multi-tool, chain tool, extra chain links. Fiber-Fix Spoke. Chain lube. Topeak Road Morph pump with gauge.

General clothing: I tend to go minimal unless you expect to do something fancy. A few decent permanent press shirts, 1 or 2 pair slacks or jeans, a few pair of underwear, some regular socks. I recommend you get some sort of loose pants that you can throw on to look presentable in the cathedrals. I also use things like mock turtleneck athletic shirts that look nice enough for both purposes.

Camera: FWIW I say go for a nice, cheap, small digital camera and a couple of memory cards. Canon Elph, Nikon Coolpix.

Shoes can be complicated. If you already ride clipless, I'd go with recessed SPD's. I'm also using a pair of Teva sandals for off-bike use. If you don't ride clipless, you may be better off sticking with platform pedals, regular clips, and comfy shoes.

Other: books, travel books, first aid kit. Gloves, rain jacket, Traveler's Checks (for emergency use), map holder, insect repellent, suntan lotion.

Have fun....

Takara

You'll be fine! Underpreparing is just as much fun as overpreparing.

Yes, get racks and panniers here -- good to have those properly mounted and fitted before you go.

Repair kit: If you don't know what to bring, you probably don't know how to use it, anyway. Get a patch kit, tire irons, and a spare inner tube, and get your bike shop to recommend a simple multitool that is appropriate for your bike. This will get you through simple repairs. Italy and Spain have way more bike shops per square inch than the United States. Resist the "EVERYTHING that we need to maintain our bikes along the way including spares" mentality -- it's like bringing extra sugar cubes and spoons and neckties to a tea party.

The biggest danger you face is bringing way too much gear and being reluctant to jettison it along the way because it was expensive. "Take half the gear you think you need and twice the money you think you need" is advice perfectly suited to your situation. Anything you discover you wish you'd brought will be available there.

You're going to bike touring Nirvana. The weather will present few challenges. Mistakes will have fewer consequences than you probably anticipate. "Navigating ancient roads and having no idea where we're going" is the whole point -- embrace it!

FlowerBlossom

Do you know how to take apart and pack your bike for the trip, and unpack and put it back together?

You'll need tools for this job. I'd practice at least once on each bike. Take it apart, box it up, then go to bed. Next day, undo that process, and see if you can do it w/o help from books or the internet.

Do you know how you are going to get your bikes back home?

MichaelW

You dont need GPS to tour, just some good maps a compass and some navigation skills.
Good bike shops are plentiful so spares will not be a problem. As long as you can get to the next town you will be fine. Dont fret about forgetting stuff, you can always buy it along the way.
I carry a tyre boot (rather than spare tyre), 1 gear/1 brake cable, 2 spare inner tubes+ puncture kit, a spare sram chain power-link and a couple of spokes, although a fibrefix kevlar spoke is more useful. A selection of zip ties, duct-tape and string may come in handy.
Travelers cheques are of little use these days. Every town has a bank machine but I prefer to use the ones inside banks during opening hrs, in case it swallows my card.
Light, quick-drying, packable clothing is widely available. Jeans are the worst touring legwear ever. Be prepared for some cool mountain crossing. I would carry some ultralight waterproof pants just in case.

Pedaleur

You might consider buying a lot of this stuff in Rome. Saves your having to drag it over there, but it'll take a day or two to get it all sorted out.

Johnny_Monkey

Italian, French and Spanish phrasebooks (unless you speak the lingo already).

IronMac

I'll nitpick here but from my experience cycling the south of France and Northern Italy you will not need a compass nor will u need phrasebooks. You will definitely need Michelin mapbooks but if you don't have any just keep the Mediterranean on your left hand side and you will do fine.

A small patch kit along with a good multi-tool (and Swiss Army knife) will get you through anything until the next bike shop.

niknak

I love it. You have no experience and no equipment and yet you're ready to go. I did the same thing about 5 years ago in Ireland and had a wonderful time. All you really need is your sense of adventure and the rest will work itself out. Have a blast

Pedaleur

If you don't know the languages, don't bother with phrasebooks.

"Scusa. Non parlo italiano. Parla inglese?"

"Excusez moi. Je ne parle pas francais. Parlez-vous anglais?"

<insert equivalent spanish phrase here>

Those and a lot of hand gestures will get you a long way.

BengeBoy 

+1

You're not going to the moon, you're going to Europe. Shopping for clothes, supplies, etc. abroad is often a "cultural adventure" in itself. Forget about batteries, chargers, wall sockets, extra clothes, extra bike repair stuff, etc. You can get all of that in Italy.

I'd say get your racks and panniers sorted out, & a basic set of clothing. Then, leave 20% of the clothing at home.

IronMac

And smiles...lots of smiles!!!

staehpj1

Surly racks are probably the heaviest and most expensive available. Buy them if you have some special reason to want/like them otherwise buy something else. Blackburn EX-1 rear and a Blackburn clone on the front is WAY cheaper and very functional. If you insist on spending more get Tubus racks they are well thought of.

That said if not camping you should be able to keep the load very light and won't need much. An inexpensive rear rack and small panniers would be quite sufficient.

Machka 

Passport

smd3

I live in northern Italy, so I don't have a lot of experience down south, but we took a short weekend trip down to Naples last weekend. (We passed Rome on the Autostrada)

They drive like idiots down there, I wouldn't want to ride my bike down there. Outside of Rome, and going north shouldn't be too bad.

Don't buy anything over here you don't need to. The exchange rate is terrible right now, and you'll pay 20% VAT.

I don't think there are any good GPS solutions for a bike, Garmin makes one, but I read a review online where the poster said it took a long time to calculate routes.

smd3

Oh, and I'll add about the language...

It seems southern Italy has a lot more english speaking people, they see more tourists. There is more english signage too. (but usually you can make out what a sign means)